March 2010 Archives

"From 1913 to 1971 five thousand one hundred and twenty one mentally ill patients were cremated on the grounds of the Oregon State Hospital. Their remains were sealed in copper canisters. The canisters were stored in the hospital's basement until the 1970s when they were moved to a memorial vault underground. The vault was subjected to periodic floods. In 2000 they were removed from their institutional crypt, placed on plain pine shelves in a storeroom, and were left virtually forgotten until David Masiel heard of their existence and photographed them."

Amazing Design Observer slideshow
(via @juliaturner)

Here are some more movies to be added to my previous list. This list includes movies I forgot the first time around and suggestions by respected readers. (I've cut out some of their suggestions using the filter of my two kids who didn't like the movies. I've also used our filter which is capricious, picky and prone to cause arguments:

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Nanny McPhee

Bolt

Gremlins

Bambi

Lady and the Tramp

Trumpet of the Swan

Charlotte's Web

Snow White

Sleeping Beauty

Land That Time Forgot

Mary Poppins

Cars

The circus

Bringing up baby

What's up doc

Hello dolly

Ratatouille

The Last Mimzy

Moongirl.

Flushed Away!

Ponyo

Red Balloon

Princess Mononoke

Porco Rosso

Naussica

Valley of the Wind

Spirited Away

Kiki's Delivery Service

The Four Feathers (the original)

The Court Jester (Danny Kayeing)

Errol Flynn Robin Hood

The Prizoner of Zenda.

That's Entertainment

The Yearling

"Concentrate every minute on doing what's in front of you with precise and genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself from all other distractions. Yes, you can-- if you do everything as if it were the last thing you were doing in your life, and stop being aimless, stop letting your emotions override what your mind tells you, stop being hypocritical, self-centered, irritable. You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life? If you can manage this, that's all even the gods can ask of you."

 

Marcus Aurelius on internet addiction (A.D. 121-180)

Our podcast, taped live at Housingworks cafe bookstore can be found here.

Update: Second part of the list is here.

Every Saturday night we watch a movie with the kids. It's their one television event during the week and getting the pick right is tough.The whole family agrees that Looney Tunes are our collective favorite but we can't do that every week.

 I wish someone had given me a list of films that appeal to kids under 10. Here are some films that we've liked. It's a very fast list. The films are all pretty safe (not a lot of excessive suspense that our daughter can't handle and not a lot of cheap jokes and attitude that sap the creative impulse). There are lots of films we've seen that aren't on this list and some I've forgotten.

I'll add to this list later as I think of films that worked. If you've got your own suggestions please send them my way:

Animal Crackers
That Darn Cat

Music Man

101 Dalmations

Aristocats

Over the Hedge

Apple Dumpling Gang

Escape from Witch Mountain

Up

My Friend Totoro

Snow Buddies

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Horton Hears a Who

Finding Nemo

Babe

E.T.

The Iron Giant

The Princess Bride (almost didn't make the list for the rodents of unusual size scene which put our daughter on the ceiling)

Singin' in the Rain

The Sound of Music

I'm not a huge fan of the captions but the book these pictures are from is amazing.

Seeing the snowman standing all alone
In dusk and cold is more than he can bear.
The small boy weeps to hear the wind prepare
A night of gnashings and enormous moan.
His tearful sight can hardly reach to where
The pale-faced figure with bitumen eyes
Returns him such a God-forsaken stare
As outcast Adam gave to paradise.

The man of snow is, nonetheless, content,
Having no wish to go inside and die.
Still, he is moved to see the youngster cry.
Though frozen water is his element,
He melts enough to drop from one soft eye
A trickle of the purest rain, a tear
For the child at the bright pane surrounded by
Such warmth, such light, such love, and so much fear.

via Poemhunter